After school, Luke arrived at the cooking practice room upon Amy’s introduction.
There, a slightly mature-looking girl, who appeared to be the president of the baking club, was waiting for him.
With short, bright hair that had a hint of sky blue, she looked like a cat Hyun with somewhat sharp features.
She approached Luke and Amy with quite an interesting demeanor, peering down at them while perking up her ears.
“Hmm, so this is the kid I’ve only heard about?”
“Yes! This is Luke Irushi! He has a lot of leftover tea leaves and knows many drink recipes!”
“Oh, really?”
Upon hearing Amy’s explanation, she nodded quietly.
Luke Irushi; that name was already quite familiar to her.
Of course, that didn’t mean she knew a lot about Luke.
Although Luke often found himself at the center of peculiar rumors at the academy, the fact that students from other grades knew his name was not something that happened often.
Isn’t that how rumors work at an academy?
The reason she was familiar with the name Luke Irushi was simply because Amy had mentioned it several times.
‘She said she joined the pastry and baking club because of the sweets he made, right?’
If that’s the case, it could be said that this kid’s skills were already well-established.
At the very least, the fact that a child who had eaten his baked goods could spark a dream in baking meant he was quite good at making bread.
She introduced herself, extending her hand toward Luke with a very satisfied expression.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Kaila Skuld, the president of the pastry and baking club.”
Luke naturally took Kaila’s hand, nodding in response.
“Likewise, Kaila. I’m Luke Irushi. Just call me Luke.”
At that moment, Kaila suddenly burst into laughter after hearing his introduction.
“Puhaha, that’s a really strange way of speaking.”
This was a situation Luke had grown accustomed to.
Without showing any signs of embarrassment, he lightly chuckled and asked, “Do you think my way of speaking is unpleasant?”
“No, not at all. I don’t really mind that.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Indeed, Luke’s manner of speaking was a bit peculiar as expected.
It didn’t quite fit with his cute and charming appearance, yet oddly, it matched the overall atmosphere, making it hard to pinpoint why.
But one thing was certain: it was absolutely not enough to make someone feel uncomfortable.
“Anyway, welcome! So, you’re saying you’ll help us out in the café during this festival, right? So, are you going to work in the café?”
Upon Kaila’s confirmation, Luke shook his head and replied, “Not exactly. I just came to share some recipes. Didn’t you say your drink menu was lacking? I happen to have a lot of leftover tea leaves, and I have a bit of knowledge about tea as well.”
Kaila sighed as if disappointed. “Hmm… then could you give us a taste? We need to see if it pairs well with the other menu items.”
“Not a problem. Just wait a moment.”
Luke’s stance as he immediately began taking action was quite confident.
He was, after all, just a child of Amy’s age in the lower grades, so expectations weren’t particularly high. Still, Kaila thought there was something trustworthy about his demeanor.
—–
As Luke was brewing the tea, time passed and the club members began to gather one by one.
Once again, Luke found himself surrounded by a crowd.
New faces in any group always become a topic of conversation.
Simply being there, he was bombarded with questions from the children.
Wherever he went, Luke’s first impression was quite peculiar.
“Are you really a cat Hyun? But looking at your tail, which is fluffy unlike the president’s, doesn’t it seem more like a fox?”
“Are you possibly a mixed breed? What about your parents?”
“Are you really 10 years old? Wow, kids these days sure grow up fast.”
“Amy said you’re really good at making bread, right? Isn’t there any thought of joining the pastry and baking club?”
While the tea was brewing, Luke answered what he could and tactfully avoided questions that were difficult to answer, such as those about his parents.
After a bit more conversation had flowed.
“Oh, just a moment. It should be done now. Can I have a little space, please?”
As Luke raised his hand, the circle of kids surrounding him widened slightly.
With no obstacles in his way, Luke promptly began pouring the tea.
Although the tea leaves were close to being discarded, their efficacy was lessened but their aroma remained completely intact.
Thus, there was no need to dilute it for effect.
Luke skillfully and elegantly filtered the tea leaves, capturing the scent of the tea in the cups.
Then, to show that various presentations were possible according to preferences, he flavored the tea with different fruits and milk, creating unique tastes in each cup.
“Wow…”
The children watching couldn’t help but be in awe.
Even without tasting it, they felt the rich and fragrant flavor spreading in their mouths, likely due to the essence of the original tea.
“Alright, all done. Give them each a try.”
At Luke’s words, the children, finally regaining their senses, began to pick up the cups filled with their desired drinks.
And as they took their first sip, each child couldn’t help but widen their eyes.
It was truly an exquisite tea time.
Most didn’t even know how to appreciate tea properly.
“This is so delicious! I think it’s better than juice!”
“Really, this tea with milk seems like it would pair perfectly with cake.”
“This has a taste that really makes you crave sweets.”
“I feel like we could just put together everything on the menu!”
“Haha, isn’t that right?”
Although the plan to commercialize the products had folded, the know-how was definitely not going anywhere.
It was no surprise that the taste was excellent.
How many times had Luke improved to achieve a taste and aroma that complemented snacks?
There would be absolutely no problem if commercialization proceeded at any time, as extensive and thorough research had been conducted.
In particular, he had put in considerable effort to create flavors that paired well with sweets.
That was likely due to Luke’s thinking that selling recipes for sweets to accompany the tea later could lead to substantial profits.
However, it was quite unfortunate that unexpected obstacles had derailed their plans to produce goods.
To sell products, they needed to go through procedures.
It turned out that becoming a regular item in a department store was a vastly different matter from selling products at a small neighborhood stall.
Meanwhile, while everyone was expressing their admiration.
“….”
Kaila’s expression after tasting the tea was quite serious.
After silently pondering something, Kaila suddenly grabbed Luke and said with earnestness.
“You. Come work in our café.”
“I never said I wanted to work in a café.”
Luke glanced at Kaila with a puzzled expression.
He had only intended to share the recipes and casually sell some tea leaves.
But suddenly, working as a staff member?
Yet, Kaila was undeterred.
“But there’s nobody here who has as much knowledge about tea as you do. Everyone only knows about baking. If you teach them a tea recipe, they probably won’t be able to make it properly.”
At Kaila’s words, everyone in the club nodded in agreement.
As they watched Luke brewing and pouring the tea, they realized it was an action they could not perform.
Thus, everyone agreed that they needed Luke’s hand.
“So, we need you.”
“….”
Upon hearing that, it was quite a valid point even for Luke.
Indeed, while Luke’s tea was delicious, the method of brewing it had certain strict requirements.
In fact, just a slight change in brewing time or a mix-up in ratios could yield a completely different flavor; that was the world of tea, and Luke’s tea-brewing skills, which had reached the pinnacle of alchemy, were indeed at an incredibly delicate level that nobody could replicate.
However, there was still no need for him to work directly.
Because even if he casually brewed the tea without following his strict processes, the tea leaves were already good enough.
“Still, I wouldn’t want to go so far as to actually work in the café…”
Just as he was about to refuse, Kaila made a proposal to Luke.
“If the sales go well this time, I’ll ask my mom to keep buying those tea leaves in the future. Wouldn’t it be better to make sure of that?”
Indeed, Kaila was also a student from Tigr Academy, where children from influential families attended.
Her parents were known figures in certain fields as well.
“….”
Luke fell silent for a moment.
—–
Luke entered the supply room with Kaila.
It was to check if the staff uniform fit him well.
“What? I knew you’d look cute! It fits perfectly!”
“No, this is…”
Luke briefly looked down at his outfit.
A black long-sleeved, frilly dress with a white apron.
In other words, it was an ordinary maid outfit.
Though he didn’t expect it, fortunately, it wasn’t embarrassingly revealing.
Since it wasn’t particularly exposing, the only thing that might bother him was that it made him look like someone of a lower status.
However, for Luke, who didn’t really care about status, that wasn’t particularly problematic.
Moreover, the feel of the outfit itself wasn’t all that unfamiliar.
He had a preference for black and white dress codes, and he would often wear pumps and white stockings.
Therefore, it could be said that Luke didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable in this outfit.
But the fact that the staff uniform was a maid outfit was surprisingly puzzling.
What could be the reason behind it?
“How is it? The outfit is really cute, right? In fact, some of the girls wanted to start a café just to try this on! When else would you get the chance to wear something like this?”
Luke found Kaila’s claim to be absurd. “If you want to wear it that badly, can’t you just try it on at home by yourself?”
Isn’t that right?
Kids from well-off families often have maids, so wouldn’t they have at least one maid outfit they could try on at home?
However, Kaila shook her head as if Luke’s reasoning was painfully obvious.
“Then it wouldn’t have the same vibe at all! That would just be cosplay.”
“…You guys are more serious than I thought…?”
It seemed these kids, perhaps because they had never been in the position of a servant, held an illusion about maid outfits.
